Asia-Pacific Power List 2020: Rane Xue, LVMH

Rane Xue

CMO, APAC; Chief transformation officer, China
LVMH
Hong Kong

Rane Xue sits atop the marketing org chart for $60 billion luxury giant LVMH in the region, responsible for not only overall marketing in Asia but also a transformation role in the all-important China market. 

Xue’s rise up the ladder within LVMH started when she joined as a marketing director with the watch brand Tag Heuer in 2010. Within two years Xue was brand director, and she has been credited with adding a needed note of status to the brand’s image in China, where its sporty heritage had previously limited its appeal. Part of achieving that end, and making the brand more appealing to the over-35 set, was recruiting a well-respected actor, Chen Daoming, as a brand ambassador.

Xue stepped up to the group level as strategic project director in early 2015 and rose to regional marketing director a mere six months later. She assumed her current role in 2019.

In recent months, Xue had occasion to do the opposite of what she did with Tag Heuer: take something that was meant to be exclusive and offer it to a broader audience. Such was the case with Hennessey’s recent ‘home edition’ of its Masterclass series. Originally intended for only a select audience, the brand brought the mixology instruction programme to its social channels so more people could enjoy the lessons during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Broadcast using Facebook Live, the event was produced in Hong Kong by TBWA Hong Kong and its Bolt unit and streamed to seven APAC markets (Australia, Singapore Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) simultaneously. It reached 2 million people and 1 million video views, according to the brand.

With the pandemic hitting both the China market and sales to tourists, LVMH has faced unusual stresses of late. However, the company was among the first to make a strong positive impression by retooling manufacturing lines to make protective gowns and masks rather than handbags and hand sanitizer rather than perfume. And LVMH’s most recent financial results showed it to be more resilient than expected. 

Looking ahead, Xue’s transformation role in China speaks to a longer-term nut that luxury brands have yet to really crack: that of creating a compelling luxury experience in ecommerce channels. Given her steady rise through the LVMH hierarchy, which followed time at Unilever and L’Oreal, Xue is in a strong position to lead the venerable company into the future.